Are the Halo games suitable for an eleven year old?

I am eleven and I really want Halo:Combat Evolved. My mom says to ask people that have it about it, and if it's suitable for me. She says I need at least 5 comments saying that it is. Please discribe this game!!!

The Game is a First Person Shooter set in the future. You play as Master Chief, the last of a group of super-soldiers called Spartans. You battle aliens of a race known as the Covenant. This game is rated "M" for Mature and I really wouldn't recommend it to someone under 13 due to the violence and some gore. The decision of whether or not this game is suitable for you can only be answered by your mother so she has to see it and decide from there.

I personally don't think that it is suitable for younger children. My nephew is 12 and he has HALO 2, but I personally don't think it is appropriate (that's his mother's decision). As for my reasoning, well obviously the rating is there for a reason. Also most people buy these games to go online, and you cannot control what comes out of other player's mouths, you can block them, but frankly I don't think MOST 11 year olds will block that person without being told.

Well he won't have that trouble of going online since Halo is not an online game (only LAN). However the game has considerable violence, gore, and blood. It's not rated M for nothing. These ratings are meant to be put in place for a reason. Obviously some M rated games are suitable for children under 17, whereas others are not at all. Before buying your child this game, make sure to see that you child is mature enough to know that it is only a game. If he/she is not mature enough to realize the diff. then no matter how old they are they should not play M rated games. The esrb does a good job at rating games (www.esrb.org), but ultimately it is a parent's responsibility to monitor what their children play. The ratings are very specific age wise, but many kids are so diff. than the "norm" that generalizing does a great disservice to them and the industry.

Sorry, I could write a whole book on this...In other words - if your child is mature and can handle this then sure get it for him. If not then don't. If you are unsure, give it a rental for 5-7days, and watch his/her behavior while he has the game (works well for any game). Or even better yet: PARENT why don't you rent the game and play it ithout your child watching to see if it is appropriate. Besides, you know your child best and what they are capable of and can handle.

In reply to an earlier post on May 25, 2007 4:44 PM PDT Derek Hess says: Well he won't have that trouble of going online since Halo is not an online game (only LAN). However the game has considerable violence, gore, and blood. It's not rated M for nothing. These ratings are meant to be put in place for a reason. Obviously some M rated games are suitable for children under 17, whereas others are not at all. Before buying your child this game, make sure to see that you child is mature enough to know that it is only a game. If he/she is not mature enough to realize the diff. then no matter how old they are they should not play M rated games. The esrb does a good job at rating games (www.esrb.org), but ultimately it is a parent's responsibility to monitor what their children play. The ratings are very specific age wise, but many kids are so diff. than the "norm" that generalizing does a great disservice to them and the industry.

Sorry, I could write a whole book on this...In other words - if your child is mature and can handle this then sure get it for him. If not then don't. If you are unsure, give it a rental for 5-7days, and watch his/her behavior while he has the game (works well for any game). Or even better yet: PARENT why don't you rent the game and play it ithout your child watching to see if it is appropriate. Besides, you know your child best and what they are capable of and can handle.

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Halo is a game with violence. However, when comparing halo to other games rated M, the level of violence is very low. I will divide the game into two parts: Campaign and Competitive.

The campaign mode is fairly intense, especially if played alone. If played cooperatively with a friend it is one of the best games I have ever played. The character you control, Master Chief, is an honorable character who's goal is to protect humanity from annihilation by an alien invader. The level of violence and disturbing imagery in this mode is comparable to watching the Lord of the Rings movies.

The competitive mode is a little less gory. It is a competition with representations of real life vehicles and weapons. I play this mode all the time with my younger brothers 8 and 12 years old. You can take this mode seriously and try to rack up as many "kills" as possible, or you can just goof off and jump in a jeep and crash into each other! Each player can make their own choice about how they want to play.

My recommendation: Personally, I wouldn't let either of my brothers play Halo without me, especially the 8 year old. I feel that if I am monitoring there play time with the game, I can mold it into a positive and rewarding experience. I would also want a responsible adult present the first time they watched the Lord of the Rings at that age as well.

I rate the game pg13: parental guidance (or equivalent) recommended under age 13.

Thank you for all your suggestions. My mom has made the desicion of getting me Halo. Because of help from all of you that posted, a little hole in my heart has been filled. It is the best game ever. Thank you.

You know what? I was opposed to M rated games for a long time, but I broke that rule for Halo and Perfect Dark, neither of which deserve their ratings. Xenosaga on the PS2 is rated T but is tons more gory than Halo. Halo's a shooter with alien blood, not buckets of it but it's there. So if by principle you're opposed to blood, which can't be turned off, you shouldn't play Halo. Really, it's no more violent than T rated shooters like TimeSplitters, Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, etc. It's just a lot better. Don't know what the ESRB was thinking...I never saw ANY gore in Halo at all, and I played an awful lot of it. No exploding heads, mutilations, etc. are present.

The M rating is supposed to be the equivalent of a movie's R rating. Thing is, there isn't really a PG-13 level rating that's used by the ESRB. I just checked their site, and there's two ratings I've never even seen. There's eC, which is for early childhood (and explains why I've never seen it. There's also E10, which would be everybody over 10 (duh). The only ratings I do normally see are E (everybody), T (teen) and M (mature), which work out to G, PG, and R equivalents. If the ESRB were to actually use the E10 rating, then it could take the place of the PG rating, and games like Halo may have been given the T rating.

Of course, the ESRB has to cover their arse from idiots in Congress that can't even handle pinball and the tool Jack Thompson.

I am 15 and I play halo 2 pretty much every night. It is a game that is set in first person view where you see things through the eyes of the main character. You have to save the planet for the Covenent who are pretty much aliens. Since the game is rated M i wouldn't reccommend it for someone under 13, but it does depend on the person. I reccomend renting it and seeing if your mom thinks it is appropriate for you.

You're not old enough to play video games, they will warp your impressionable mind. Go to the library and read books. Or go to the ballet. Wait, library...books...magazines...porn. Ballet...girls in skin tight leotards...jumping up and down, up and down. Nevermind, play all the games you want. They never hurt anyone.

well, i first played halo when i was 11, wasnt that bad. The only blood i noticed was the fake, blue blood from the Covenant. And for all those people comparing Resistance, good job comparing a game that is 6 years old with one that is a few months old. And guess what, halo is still selling copies. Doubt resistance will last that long.

I played this game when I was 11 and laughed at the M rating, with green and purple blood and no real profanity also note you are not killing humans or anything resembling them, but the game is Rated "M" and it is up to your mother to decide

Halo is fine for an 11 year old. There's just a tiny amount of real blood, and barely (if any) "crude" language. I do not remember any gore in the game at all. Besides, it is outrageously fun and it's part of our culture!